From 1997 through 2003,
I worked as a professional tattoo artist. Every aspect of
my life since then has revolved around tattooing, getting
tattooed and being a tattooed person. There is a distinct
sense of belonging within the always growing subculture
revolving around tattoos, especially since the beginning
of the Tattoo Renaissance in the late 1970's. Within the
Renaissance, the tattoo shifted from a familiar and marginal
aspect of working class life, to a reacton to middle class
society and currently holds a spot in our society revolving
somewhere between fashion and spiritual connectivity. My
current studio work addresses these ideas, and the association
of tattoos within our current society.
Tattoos are fluidly appropriated
from other cultures, social groups and individual people.
Our societal surroundings influence the imagery we have
permanently embedded in our skin, just as our life experiences
and the people around us do. Tattooing is no longer restricted
to military men and bikers living on the fringe of society.
It has become so popular, especially within the last 20
years, that mothers, grandmothers and grade school teachers
are commonly part of the marked society.
In a society where everyone
shops at a mall, and every store is a chain, brand names
have become the norm. Consumerism runs rampid in our daily
lives and there is very little sense of individuality. With
the shift from working class to middle class that the tattoo
has seen in the past 40 years, the tattooist/craftsman has
shifted to academically trained tattoo artists. This dynamic
allows for a much more personal and unique tattoo as well
as a more aesthetically pleasing addition to the wearers
daily attire.
Often thought of as 2-dimensional
images placed on a 3-dimensional canvas, tattoos are not
given artistic credit for becoming a permanent part of the
wearers body. They live with us, breathe with us, show age
as we do and, in the end, accompany us to our graves. To
the tattooed person, tattoos are the most true, the most
pure and the most permanent form of art.
The intent behind my work
is to memorialize tattoos and the role they play in our
individuality just as much as it is to talk about the outside
influences on those of us who get tattooed. No two tattoos
are the same, the shift from tattooist to tattoo artist
has emphasized this importance of individuality. With aid
from the self-help movement of the 1980's, the tattoo narrative
has helped frame the tattoo as a signifier of ones identity.
As tattooed individuals explain the deeper meaning of their
tattoos, the spiritual connections, and inward self reflection
become another, very important part of the tattoo.
I work with glass because
of the materials ability to visually multi-task. Glass is
right at home referencing fragility, skin and transperency
while simultaneously eluding to voyeurism, reflection, projection
and narcissism. All strong thoughts about the current state
of tattooing and its recent rise to main stream popularity.
